Frog’s Tooth Vineyards

My favorite tasting room in Murphys. Their wines are always great, they have a core of estate grown Rhone varietals and also some kick-​ass Italian wines ie Barbera and Sangiovese. And their whites are great as well, the Viognier is very nice. If they have their sparkling wine (pink diamonds I think it’s called) get some, they only made 2 vintages of it and haven’t had any the last few times I was in. I don’t even like champagne but toasted at my wedding with theirs!
They usually have music playing on their deck and have some really cool furniture made out of their own barrels that you can lounge on and enjoy and nice glass of wine with friends. And they are dog friendly! They always have treats.
Dennis and Larry are always so friendly and knowledgeable. Check FTV out next time you are in Calaveras.

Sign on door said they open at noon we were there at 1245 and door was locked. So we walked around town went back at 130 door still locked. They lost a big sale. We had been at a local restaurant and had their wine with lunch. We loved their Pinot Grigio and wanted to buy it plus others. Not the way to do business

Just went to an event at the winery and was very disappointed. The advertisement said it was a BBQ with wine by frog’s tooth and santanana tribute band. When we arrived, 45 minutes later, very out of the way, I was shocked that all we received was a punch card and a wine glass. The punch card was for one trip through the food line and 6 tastings at the wine bar. They passed out the food as if they thought they would not have enough, so I left hungry. I thought when they said wine by frogs tooth, they meant wine included. Of course, you could buy a glass of wine for $ 6.00 or sangria. They also sold raffle tickets for bottles of their wine. It felt more like a fund raiser that I drove way too far to attend. Kudos for the advertisement. You got me. The one star is for the band that was excellent!

Let me just say the two star rate is because of Dennis. He was amazing! So attentive and
Spent time with us. I really appreciate his stellar customer service. However, the woman working with him was extremely rude. She was short with us and pressured us into tasting wines we didn’t want to. She also left out tasting after the second wine and never came back. Dennis thankfully took over and saved the day! However the woman before him was so awful I can’t possibly give a higher rating. She ruined the birthday girls day until Dennis showed up.

This tasting room is set back from the main street and a little harder to find. They claim to be «all about the wine» and to have «serious wines.» We did find their wines to be very nice and purchased a viogner and a fume blanc. The lady who helped us was very nice and friendly but not at all knowledgeable about the wines and therefore could not answer our basic questions. So in terms of having «serious wines» — maybe, but their staff were not really that serious.

Overall, their wines are great! Love the light, crisp tastes. Good summer wines!
However, the staff are extremely touchy on who enters their tasting room. If you’re and older couple/​group they’re very nice and attentive. If you are younger than 30 stay away. My two girlfriends and I stopped by this place on a birthday weekend and they were soooo rude and treated us like children. I’ve never been insulted in a tasting room this bad. Won’t go back

Very nice atmosphere! We got there before closing so the music had stopped but heard it was a awesome high light to the tasting room. Bought a glass of wine and it was very good! The women who helped us were very friendly unlike one of the tasting rooms across the street! They made us feel comfortable asked how we were. Will go back for sure

Larry was very rude and hostile. Will not come back!

We are so glad we turned off of Main Street to visit this wonderful winery and tasting room! The staff and owners were wonderfully attentive and knowledgable. They made suggestions that we are so glad we went out of our «norm» and tried. Very good wine, wonderful company while tasting and we truly felt welcome! No high pressure sales or pushiness which was greatly appreciated after a couple of unpleasant visits to other places. Frog’s Tooth is one I will be returning too over and over!!!

Off the beaten path (literally, you walk on a pathway off of Main Street to their tasting room), Frog’s Tooth offers some great wines, friendly pourers, and FREE tastings. They state they provide the free tastings in hopes that the visitors will like a wine so much they’ll purchase one. WORKED FOR US!
THE VINO ITSELF: We tried all of their whites and their reds. I’m not typically a white wine person as it is, but did enjoy their Pinot Grigio. I was NOT a fan of their Fume Blanc, which is apparently a favorite of many. (My husband got double tastings on that and a couple more that I wasn’t as big of a fan of… lucky him!) Of the reds, I enjoyed the La Rona Rojas, which was a blend of Tempranillo and Grenache; I have to say the blend was better than each alone, in my opinion. The Tawny Toad was listed as both a red and dessert wine and I liked that one a lot, but not enough to purchase it at $ 42; it topped the other dessert wine though, the Dulcinea, which I wasn’t actually a fan of. We went home with the pinot and la rona rojas, enjoying the two the very next night. I did wish we could have had a cab, but that was apparently only available to the general public and only to the wine club members.
THE SERVICE: While we were there trying all of the wines, several people assisted in pouring our tastings. (One even joked about how we were getting them all to pour for us, but more in an apologetic way.) All of them were quite pleasant and friendly, even though they were pretty busy that day. We appreciated that. Some were even the co-​owners and appeased us by answering our questions about the history of the company. We even were given tips on where else to try, which I appreciate versus them only wanting us to stay in theirs.
ATMOSPHERE: It was a busy day when we went, but there were tons of people laughing, dropping in for a taste, and/​or picking up their wine shipments (club members). Everyone was friendly and enjoying themselves. I like that about wineries (versus pretentious visitors or staff).
Bottom Line — Murphy’s has some great wine tasting and this is one to definitely hit! And/​or return to! =)

Stumbled into Frog’s Tooth after a recommendation from another winery in Murphy’s. This space was cozy with clean lines and modern décor. Our sommelier was Rose and she was a total sweetheart! Rose was very knowledgeable and had a fantastic personality which made our wine tasting experience at Frog’s Tooth that much more enjoyable.
Grenache typically tends to be on the spicier side but the one from Frog’s Tooth was a very mild version. I am normally not a big fan but I was sold with Frog’s Tooth version!
The cabernet sauvignon wasn’t bad either. I found the other reds to be either on the oaky or spicy side which I tend to pass on… normally not into dessert wines due to the sweetness but their Dulcinea was very nice. It wasn’t as sweet I can see it pairing wonderfully with a fresh fruit summer salad.
If you’re ever in Calaveras county this would be a good spot to check out for wine tasting!

Great wine fun and friendly staff loved the wine so much we joined the wine club

If you like fruit in your wines, then this is the place to come. Each of their wines is a lesson in the fruity flavors of the grape, I love their grenache, as does everyone I have allowed close to my private stash.

You can’t go wrong with FTV wines. They’ve got a great selection of both whites and reds. I LOVE their fume blanc so much! All of their reds are drinkable and have a nice balance of fruit. The people behind the counter are friendly and a lot of fun! Also be sure to try the gourmet mustards they have for sale in the tasting room. Very good stuff. The only wine here that I don’t like too much is the tawny port… it’s a little rough for me (too much brandy I guess).

Not a big fan of their wines…
However, the staff was nice…

These guys make great wine! They also create a great environment for tasting it and sharing it.
This is a boutique winery. I have actually hosted events to give others the opportunity to taste it where they don’t ship

This is definitely somewhere you want to make a point of stopping by! The second we walked it, we were greeted by a friendly lady. Throughout the tasting, it was clear that she was very proud of the wines and was very knowledgeable about them. Although the reds that we tasted were mediocre (unfortunately, they sold out of 2 of their best selling reds), their white wines were amazing! I loved the Marsanne! I’ve never had anything like it. Great service; delicious wines; and no tasting fee! Yay! I’m a fan!

Frog’s Tooth is the perfect example of what I have come to love about Calaveras wineries. Obviously, Calaveras’ tradition of world-​class vinification pales in comparison to that of Napa or Sonoma. It would surprise me if half of Calaveras wineries were more than a decade old. Because of this fact, the consumer benefits in many ways. Not the least of which is the fact that the vines weren’t selected and planted by a bunch of conformist Francophile sentimentalists.
As they say, variety is the spice of life, and Frog’s Tooth certainly offers this. I pretty much made up my mind about Frog’s Tooth as soon as I read the tasting list: 3 whites at the top… none of which are Chardonnay! Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty we are free at last!
I know that every Grandma in the Midwest finds comfort in the omnipresence of Chardonnay, when she heads to her local Ralphs in her house dress. I would like to think that I can be a little more creative in my wine consumption than her, and I love wineries who are similarly creative in their viticulture.
Yes, I know, there is more of a market for Chard, Cab, Merlot, but dammit there are thousands of different varietals to choose from. Frog’s Tooth is aware of this and shows an independent-​minded attitude toward their grape selection, and I have the utmost respect for that.
What do you gain from this, you ask? Torrontes. Spanish/​Portuguese in its origin, Torrontes is cultivated widely in Argentina. In America, not so much, but in Murphy’s, Frog’s Tooth has it. Based on the intense musky citrus and floral bouquet of the 2007 Torrontes, I would say it’s similar to Viognier on the nose, but extremely light, crisp, and dry on the palate like Pinot Grigio. This may be the perfect pair for steamed shellfish. I would say this is the most unique white wine I’ve tasted in Calaveras.
Their 2007 Fume Blanc is similarly intriguing, as it is aged to perfection in a bit of neutral oak. All steel Sauv Blanc is just boring to me, just like super-​oakey Chardonnay. Throw a little oak in the mix, and Sauv Blanc comes alive with complex flavors. I got a lot of herb and melon aromas with the typical crisp finish of Sauv Blanc. This well-​crafted wine can easily stand out from the crowd, as it was awarded a double gold medal recently.
I found their reds to be similar in quality. Their 2006 Tempranillo is another medal winner which tickled my fancy. I’m very passionate about medium-​bodied red wine because of its versatility in food-​pairing, and Frog’s Tooth scores again with theirs. Loaded with dark fruit and an earthy backbone, this wine does not overpower you with firm tannins. Rather it’s soft on the palate with good acidity giving it structure. This has me dreaming of my Andouille Jambalaya.
Really, I liked all of their wines and wouldn’t blink paying 20 – 30 bucks for any of the small batch artisan wines that they produce. On the contrary, I feel luck to have it, as they are currently about to sell-​out all of it. Absolutely a must-​stop winery if you are downtown in Murphy’s.

OK, so I like wine. RED wine that is. This place has the best red wines in the world along with Chatom vinyards. But, the thing I found most tasty at frogs tooth was the merlot/​chocolate mustard. Bought 2 jars of this. Damn but it is the best mustard I have ever tasted. Even joined their wine club because of it. Wine tasting, nothing like it. More fun than a barrell full of drunk monkeys.

I enjoy a good glass of wine every now and then. I really enjoy wine tasting when I visit my parents in Murphys. If you’ve never been wine tasting in Murphys you simply must get in the car and head on up highway 4. ;)
One of my favorite places to stop is the Frog’s Tooth tasting room. There is a little table for kiddies outside since they are not allowed in the tasting room. The room is a good size compared to some of the other tasting rooms in Murphys.
Their wines are really smooth and tasty. I’m more of a red wine type of girl and I do not care for wines that are sweet. I made my way through the tasting offerings and literally enjoyed every single wine I tasted. I truly did. I would definitely recommend this tasting room if you are in Murphys. Cheers!